Qi Refining Immortal Masters had achieved mastery of magical power. Soaring through the clouds and riding the mist was child's play to them, and their various escape techniques were even faster, allowing them to travel tens of thousands of miles in a day.
In less than ten days,
the three groups arrived one after another.
The first to reach Cang Mountain was Lü Shiwu, a Qi Refining cultivator of the Star Picking Sect.
Back in the fourth life, he had been the first to challenge Meng Nan, calling him "dog shit."
In every life after that, as long as Meng Nan was still alive, this man would arrive as expected to challenge him.
As time went on,
Meng Nan gradually learned more about him.
But beyond that, they had no further dealings in the first ten lives.
Until this life.
With ten lives' worth of hard-won cultivation behind him, Meng Nan had crossed hands with Lü Shiwu before advancing to Qi Refining in Immortal Calendar Year 47. They had been evenly matched, leaving Lü Shiwu with a deep impression of him.
A century later,
Meng Nan had long since advanced to Qi Refining.
And Lü Shiwu had now been dispatched south to develop the South Frontier.
So the two had crossed paths once more.
Meeting again, they were in different frames of mind.
It was hard to avoid feeling a little closer to each other.
Lü Shiwu was Meng Nan's only acquaintance in the Star Picking Sect, while Meng Nan's standing in the Dragon Ridge Mountain Territory was something Lü Shiwu needed to rely on.
So after several years, their friendship had grown strong.
After looking over the jade slip earlier and turning things over in his mind, Meng Nan had invited him as well.
"Red Robe Nightmare Suppression?"
After Lü Shiwu arrived, he listened to Meng Nan's account and looked at the scenes and figures he had drawn. His face immediately turned cold. "That Red Robe General! He joined my Star Picking Sect, yet still hasn't mended his wicked ways. He deserves to die!"
"Red Robe General?"
Meng Nan's eyes lit up at that.
The main reason he had invited Lü Shiwu this time was that, as someone from the Star Picking Sect, he was well-informed. He Weiyang and Meng Jian might not know the Red Robe General's background, but Lü Shiwu just might.
And now,
it turned out,
from Lü Shiwu's expression, it was clear he had recognized the man at a glance.
"The Red Robe General is a Rogue Cultivator from the Central Plains. He practices Red Robe Nightmare Suppression, and is especially skilled at killing with curses from afar. Those struck by his spell inevitably suffer Soul Loss and Spirit Scattering eighty-one days later, dying on the spot."
"Fellow Daoist Meng—"
After his anger subsided, Lü Shiwu looked at Meng Nan, his brows furrowing slightly.
Given Meng Nan's cultivation, there should have been no way he could survive the Red Robe General's nightmare-suppression spell.
And yet here he was, standing before him in perfect health.
"Alas!"
"See for yourself, fellow Daoist."
Seeing Lü Shiwu's reaction, Meng Nan knew he was suspicious. He immediately took off the Breath Concealing Jade Pendant and then stirred the true qi he had just cultivated.
"True qi?"
Lü Shiwu's face showed his shock.
He knew Meng Nan's circumstances. Nearly a hundred years ago, Meng Nan had already been at the peak of True Essence, and his fighting strength had been no less than that of a prodigy like him from the Star Picking Sect. Later, though, Meng Nan had rushed his advancement and ruined his prospects by relying on a potent medicine, but he had still possessed a century's worth of magical power.
And now—
"How could this be?"
After his initial shock, Lü Shiwu believed eight tenths of what Meng Nan had told him.
Meng Nan had always been in the South Frontier.
The Red Robe General had once been in the Central Plains.
The two had no enmity.
Meng Nan had no reason to slander the Red Robe General.
The only suspicious points were why he had survived the curse and how he had learned what the Red Robe General looked like while casting the spell to kill him.
But in the face of the solid proof of Meng Nan's cultivation, most of those doubts faded away.
"Perhaps he has some special ability."
The Immortal Dao was vast and boundless, and spells were as numerous as the stars. Perhaps Meng Nan had some marvelous technique at his disposal.
Lü Shiwu didn't dwell on it.
He looked at Meng Nan, hesitated for a moment, then said, "The Red Robe General came over from the Central Plains and is now under Pan Xuehong of Bone Chasing Mountain. With just this portrait, finding him and taking him on won't be easy."
The Red Robe General possessed a secret technique and had earned Pan Xuehong's favor.
And Pan Xuehong was one of the thirty peak Qi Refining cultivators sent south by the Star Picking Sect to develop the South Frontier. She was known for her domineering temper.
She was not someone to trifle with.
"The Red Robe General failed to curse me to death. He won't be willing to let it go. I suspect he'll recuperate for a few months, then try again."
"If we can catch him red-handed and kill him on the spot, then afterward, Immortal Master Ge's side—"
Meng Nan looked at Lü Shiwu.
Immortal Master Ge.
Ge Yunxian.
Like Pan Xuehong, he was one of the thirty peak Qi Refining cultivators.
Pan Xuehong commanded Bone Chasing Mountain.
Ge Yunxian commanded Dragon Ridge Mountain.
The relationship between the two, and their temperaments, would determine Meng Nan's next decision.
"Fellow Daoist Meng is also a guest elder of my Star Picking Sect. If the Red Robe General truly dares to secretly curse you to death, there's no harm in killing him. As for Martial Brother Ge, he'll handle Pan Shishu afterward. We would never let our fellow Daoists down."
Whether you had reason or not,
whether you had proof or not,
that mattered greatly.
If they were in the right, it would only lead to some wrangling afterward. Even if Pan Xuehong became furious and demanded an explanation, she would have no grounds to press the matter.
"Then let's do this—"
"My second son will be coming soon. I'll have to trouble you to go to Bone Chasing Mountain with him. In a few months at most, the Red Robe General will have recovered and will surely cast his spell again. You won't need to take action then. I only hope you can testify after my second son kills him."
Meng Nan rose and bowed to Lü Shiwu.
"Fellow Daoist, you're too kind."
"If it really happens, I'll join your second son in killing that demonic cultivator. And of course I'll testify."
As Lü Shiwu spoke, he frowned. "But though I consider my swordsmanship exceptional and your second son is powerful, we might not be able to kill the Red Robe General. That could leave trouble for later."
Qi Refining Immortal Masters!
The word "Immortal" in their title was no empty boast.
Killing one Immortal Master in a one-on-one fight, or even with two against one, was no easy feat—even if the opponent was only at the second or third layer.
Let alone an old hand like the Red Robe General.
Lü Shiwu was confident, but not conceited. He knew his limits.
"Don't worry, fellow Daoist."
"This time, my second son has also invited six of the Four Immortals and Four Friends of Mirror Mountain. I've invited my good friend, Immortal Master He Weiyang. If we all join forces and catch him off guard, we'll surely kill the Red Robe General!"
Meng Nan had already made his plans.
Hearing that, Lü Shiwu couldn't help but clap his hands. "Excellent!"
In the end, Meng Nan had still overlooked one person.
A few days later,
Meng Jian and his group arrived first.
Then He Weiyang and Cao Baoju arrived.
Counting Meng Nan's three Qi Refining disciples, there were now as many as fourteen Qi Refining Immortal Masters in Cang Mountain.
Of those present, Cao Baoju was the oldest.
He was friends with He Weiyang, but this was his first time meeting his friend's friend, Meng Nan.
Meng Nan of Cang Mountain.
Cao Baoju had heard of him long ago.
Seeing him in person today, Cao Baoju was astonished.
The Cang Mountain branch.
The Mirror Mountain branch.
The fathers and sons of these two places each served their own side, but they were of one mind and shared the same breath. Together, they had a full thirteen Qi Refining cultivators.
Beyond that,
his friend He Weiyang and Meng Nan were bound by a friendship forged in life and death. He Weiyang had been able to break through back then thanks to a treasure-map of a potent medicine that Meng Nan had given him.
This was a debt of gratitude for the gift of the Dao, as weighty as a mountain.
So whenever trouble arose, one call would bring numerous Qi Refining cultivators rushing to his side. His foundations were astonishingly deep. No wonder even Lü Shiwu, a prodigy of the Star Picking Sect, had come to befriend him, while Immortal Master Ge of Qing Le Mountain held Meng Nan and his son Meng Jian in such high regard.
Their influence was truly formidable.
He just didn't know what had happened to warrant such a show of force.
Cao Baoju wondered.
Meanwhile,
as Meng Nan looked at Cao Baoju, he too felt a little moved.
Back in his fifth life, he had died beneath Cao Baoju's flying sword.
The next two lives passed without incident.
Then, at the end of his eighth life, Meng Nan couldn't help provoking him again.
By then Meng Nan had reached the fourth level of Sense Imprint, and his spells were even more formidable. Calling him "Little Baoju" one moment and "my son" the next, he had angered Cao Baoju all over again. A sword came flying from the west, and Meng Nan died once more.
He still hadn't been able to fight back.
He still hadn't met him in person.
And then came this life.
At last, in this life, he had seen the true face of that Immortal Master from Star Mountain. Twice he had died by Cao Baoju's hand, yet today Cao Baoju had come to help him fight. The workings of fate were truly mysterious.
As the thought passed through his mind,
Meng Nan smiled at Cao Baoju, then exchanged a few pleasantries with Tao Jiang and her husband, as well as the Four Monsters of Mirror Mountain.
Then he got down to business.
P.S. As of October 1, 2020, the top speed of high-speed trains was 420 kilometers per hour.
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